Young people between the right to stay and the right to move and return in Ethiopia

The study, conducted by CeSPI as part of the “Ten 4 All” project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented by Save the Children, analyzes the migration system involving children and adolescents in the Dire Dawa area and surrounding rural villages, considering the right to remain and the right to emigrate in an integrated manner.

Through qualitative research based on interviews and focus groups, the study examines the protective factors that facilitate staying or deciding to emigrate regularly after reaching the age of 18, as well as the limitations and advantages of regular migration channels compared to the dynamics of irregular migration along the eastern route.

The results show that the income differential between the territory of origin and that of destination, better access to irregular emigration despite its risks, the weakness of education and of the institutional system for regular emigration, violence in families and gender discrimination, lead young people to leave early. Based on the evidence gathered, the study puts forward proposals aimed at strengthening protective factors and making regular routes more accessible, in order to enable informed and safe migration choices.

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